Nearly a month after the trade that sent a colossal shockwave through the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens are getting used to life without P.K. Subban.

The charismatic defenseman was sent to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber, and while the dust has settled, many still have a tough time pinpointing the reasoning for the trade.

One conspiracy theory is an alleged riff between Subban and Habs' captain Max Pacioretty, but when speaking to Sportsnet's Andrew Walker, Montreal's leader only had good things to say about his friend and former teammate.

"I loved playing with P.K.," Pacioretty said. "I had a lot of really really good moments and memories with him and I will miss him, and I will keep in touch with him as well."

Still, like nearly everybody else, Pacioretty was shocked by the news.

"It completely threw me off guard," Pacioretty said. "The first thing I did, is I picked up my phone and I called P.K."

As for the new guy in town, Pacioretty is ready to get started with Weber a part of the roster.

"He's a guy that can help out our team a lot and has had a lot of success," Pacioretty said. "From an individual perspective he's obviously been a captain, and a very successful one for quite some time now. So I think on an individual level I can learn a lot from a player like that."

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Jose Bautista isn't fully featured in NHL 17, but the game does include an apparent homage to the moment that may come to define the slugger's career.

Bautista's bat flip - the Toronto Blue Jays outfielder's reaction to his decisive home run in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS against the Texas Rangers - is among the goal celebrations featured in the forthcoming NHL game from EA Sports.

Other celebrations include Teemu Selanne's glove toss and gunshot, Alex Ovechkin's stick-on-fire move, John Scott's memorable All-Star moment, the Jaromir Jagr salute, and the dab.

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The Minnesota Wild have come to terms with their final free agent.

The club agreed to a two-year, $5.1-million deal with defenseman Matt Dumba on Thursday.

He'll earn $2.35 million next season and $2.75 million in 2017-18, with a cap hit of $2.55 million.

The 22-year-old collected 26 points in 81 games for the Wild in 2015-16, ranking second among Minnesota blue-liners in goals and shots, and third in points.

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The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Brandon Gormley to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 at the NHL level.

The 24-year-old was originally drafted 13th overall by the Coyotes in 2010, and split the 2015-16 campaign between the Avalanche and their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.

Gormley became an unrestricted free agent after the Colorado Avalanche decided not to sign a qualifying offer, and will now battle it out for a spot on New Jersey's blue line in 2016-17.

In 58 career NHL games, Gormley has recorded two goals, three assists, and 54 shots.

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The Arizona Coyotes and defenseman Michael Stone have avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a one-year contract.

The deal is worth $4 million, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Stone, 26, appeared in 75 games for the Coyotes this past season, recording a career-high 30 assists and 36 total points. He also led the team with 143 blocked shots.

A restricted free agent prior to the new agreement, Stone carried an average annual valuation of $1.15 million in each of the past three seasons.

An arbitration hearing was scheduled for Aug. 4.

Tobias Rieder remains Arizona's lone restricted free agent.

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theScore is ranking all 30 NHL jerseys. We're counting down by six each day this week.

• Jersey Rankings: 30-25
• Jersey Rankings: 24-19
• Jersey Rankings: 18-13

12. St. Louis Blues

Since their failed experiment with red in the mid-to-late 1990s, the Blues have continued refining their sweater with simple tactics.

Blue and gold is a naturally eye-pleasing combination, and the Blue Note is one of the NHL's underrated logos. The understated design highlights these elements.

11. Vancouver Canucks

Having cycled through yellow, red, maroon, and even a purplish blue in their history, the Canucks finally landed on the right color combination with a bright green accentuating the royal blue.

The "VANCOUVER" emblazoned across the chest is unique and works for these kits, though it does make the front a little busy for captain Henrik Sedin and the leadership group.

10. Philadelphia Flyers

No team has ownership over a color quite like the Flyers.

The logos, nameplates, and numbers on the back absolutely pop on the distinctive, vibrant home oranges, and inversely with the road whites. The numbers on the shoulder, though, are a little untidy.

9. Edmonton Oilers

With two perfectly contrasting colors and old-school elements, the Oilers regained one of the league's best looks when they wisely eschewed the bronze.

The three horizontal stripes and the gap outline on the numbers make this a traditional, clean, and effective design.

8. New York Islanders

The run on orange continues with the Islanders, who use thick painted stripes to accentuate their look.

Thick block lettering on the nameplates and numbers make it easy to identify players.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins

Because their throwback alternates - which paid homage to previous glory days - were such a massive hit with both fans and players, the Penguins have fully embraced the championship look.

Ditching Vegas Gold for Pittsburgh Gold, the Penguins' road whites will now match the gorgeous alternates that became the sweater of choice throughout the postseason.

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The Arizona Coyotes locked up restricted free-agent defenseman Connor Murphy with a six-year contract extension, the club announced Thursday.

Murphy will reportedly earn $3.85 million each season throughout the life of the contract, a source told Arizona Sports' Craig Morgan.

The 23-year-old top-four defender is an integral building block for the Coyotes, and his progress through three pro seasons suggests this deal could have enormous value down the line.

Murphy established career-best offensive totals and was a far more effective defender in his third campaign. Whether it's on the top pair with Oliver Ekman-Larsson - a look Dave Tippett showed in the latter portion of last season - or on the second pairing with newcomer Alex Goligoski, Murphy will have the proper support, giving him the opportunity to improve his underlying stats and continue refining his skills.

Arizona still has restricted free-agent forward Tobias Rieder and fellow top-four defenseman Michael Stone to sign.

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In the dead of summer, let Celine Dion bring out the hockey feelings.

The legendary Canadian singer provides the soundtrack to this Phil Kessel tribute video, and even staunch detractors of the Pittsburgh Penguins are sure to be moved.

Never let go.

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Dale Tallon is anything but a forgotten man in Florida.

Promoted to the role of president of hockey operations after a successful stint as general manager of the Florida Panthers, Tallon is embracing the new role while also retaining the privilege of final say, he told 560 WQAM Radio on Thursday.

"(The new role) allows me to focus on what I do best - and that's evaluate and travel and scout and give us information on players that will help us win a championship and keep us as a top team for the next 15 years," said Tallon.

"I think we're in great shape, as far as that's concerned. But this will free me up to do what I do best, and that's to go scout and find players for the organization."

Tallon further debunked the notion that his voice has been minimized upon the promotion of Tim Rowe from assistant GM to Tallon's former job, reiterating he still has final say amid a collaborative decision-making process.

"I have a lot to say. I'm a stubborn guy. I have opinions. I have strong opinions. I let them know where I stand. I let them know how I feel, and that's the way it is," he said.

"Bottom line is what's best for the team, doesn't matter whose voice it is - as long as we all agree that it's best for the Panthers in the long term, we're all agreeing to do what's right. We agree what's best. We disagree. But we agree to disagree, and it's been a real good process."

The Panthers were asked for permission by the Las Vegas franchise to speak with Tallon about their now-filled GM job, but he was never formally approached.

For now, he's working on unfinished business with the Panthers, with a view to bringing the Stanley Cup to South Florida.

- With h/t to Chris Nichols of Today's Slapshot

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Two of Boston's core players played a big role in attracting David Backes' attention in free agency.

The 32-year-old forward, who signed a five-year, $30-million contract on July 1, said he spoke to both Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand during the interview period, referring to them Wednesday as lead salesmen in the process.

"Talking to (Marchand) a little bit during the interview process before July 1, I hung up the phone and kind of had to take a deep breath and say, 'Is that the little disturber, pain in the butt?' He's actually a pretty good guy," Backes said, according to Eric Russo of BostonBruins.com.

"A guy like Bergeron, you play against him, he's just always in the right spot and never making mistakes. Those types of guys are guys you want on your team, guys that you love to go to war with."

His positive impressions of both, as well as the positive relationship shared by the duo both on and off the ice, helped convince him to sign with the club.

It's winning a championship, however, that means most to Backes, after not being able to hoist the Stanley Cup as captain of the St. Louis Blues.

"With the reception that I've had for the three, four weeks that I've been a Boston Bruin, you can tell that there's some passion and tons of people here that just yearn for another Cup, even though it was just five years ago there was a parade here," he said.

"That's why I came here, because you see the vision, you see the love for the team, and I want to be a part of that."

On another note, Backes will wear his familiar No. 42 with the Bruins.

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